The most popular horse in America today is the American Quarter horse. There are over 3 million of this breed registered and their use continues to increase. Although the Quarter horse has not been around as long as the Arabian horse, it is more popular in terms of use and ownership in America.
The Quarter horse got its name from racing quarter mile lengths in Europe. These horses were brought to America by some of the original colonists, who retained their love of racing.
Colonists would race these horses down quarter mile tracks, marked off on wagon roads or wide paths through the bush. To create these powerful racing horses, they combined the best qualities of several different breeds. Arabian or Turkish stallions were bred to English mares to produce a horse that was well muscled and close to the ground.
Cowboys, seeing the speed and agility of these horses, started using them to herd cattle. Quarter horses proved to be very agile; they could literally turn on a dime. This type of agility proved very useful to the cowboys when rounding up cattle, as they could turn and accelerate rapidly.
Nowadays, Quarter horses are used in most horse competitions. Fifty percent of all registered horses in the United States are Quarter horses. One competition they are used for is called barrel racing. Barrel racing involves a race around barrels placed at predetermined locations. This race requires the horse to turn around each barrel as close and as fast as possible. The object of the race is to get through the course in the least amount of time. An event like this, involving quick changes of direction, is a perfect event for the Quarter horse.
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is the main Quarter horse association in the United States and it is the largest horse association with over 300,000 members.
A membership to the AQHA costs $40 a year, (life memberships are also available at a reduced per year cost) and gives you access to the many services the AQHA offers. Their website, http://www.aqha.com, gives a large amount of information and offers a breed registry. You can search pedigrees back through four generations using their website. All Quarter horse show dates and show results are also available on this website.
It doesn't matter whether you are an exhibitor, a racer, or a cowboy. The AQHA provides individualized service for every segment of the Quarter horse association.
The Quarter horse has proven to be one of the fastest and most agile horses in the world. If you want a horse that can turn on a dime and accelerate quickly, the American Quarter horse is the horse you should consider obtaining.
Until next time,
Teia
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